There were two things Wonyoung registered when she woke up. Three.
One, her neck ached the way it does when you wake up after sleeping in a shitty position for too long in a bus or a car or any vehicle. Two, it had to be 5am, because her biological clock said so. Three, Yujin was splayed out next to her, one hand loosely intertwined with hers. Azzo slept nearby them, curled into a little ball of cotton.
She sat up with her eyes still closed and cricked it a few times; twisted her torso around to stretch her sides.
She was on the hardwood floor of the studio, and in her bleary state she thought she'd passed out while doing her assignment. Then she realised the presence of paintbrushes strewn all over the floor.
Blue hued the room as it glowed through the gaps of the curtains. Frames of yesterday's confession played like a tape on repeat in her mind and she lay back down spreadeagled, hand still in Yujin's.
A clatter interrupted her dreamy state.
Gaeul opened the door.
She was dressed in a black zip-up sweatshirt and jeans, one arm through a padded coat.
"Good morning, Wonyoung," she chirped warmly. Wonyoung waved back sleepily. "I'm gonna go now, okay? There's eggs on the table."
With a click, Gaeul was gone. It woke Azzo up. He stretched.
It seemed like Yujin had fallen asleep much, much later than Wonyoung, puffy circles under her eyes visible when she peered over. It suited her, actually.
It was very Yujin of her, Wonyoung thought, smiling.
She got up and paced around the room. Yesterday's piece, half-finished, sat in the easel. Wonyoung walked up to it.
She pressed her finger to the wood. Yujin had painted the easel too, decorating it with long dark vines and bunches of flowers and random squiggles that looked like graffiti art.
On the canvas, Yujin had blocked out the shapes of a park with trimmed yellow grass. A barbeque table with benches attached to it and a parasol in the center sat near the side. In the very middle of the painting was a fountain in the shape of a fish that spewed water from its mouth.
It was abstract and blocky, wispiness from the end of dry brushes still visible. Wonyoung guessed Yujin would fix it up more later, but she would've accepted this as the finished piece and bought it for a kidney. Her work was absolutely priceless.
A pair of arms wrapped around her. She startled, but calmed down quickly when Yujin rested her chin on her shoulder.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Morning..." Yujin slurred. It was 6 now. The sky wasn't any lighter, but birds were chirping outside.
Wonyoung turned around so they backed up against the desk.
"Morning," she said, holding Yujin's face in between her palms.
.
Liz had made the realisation weeks ago that she did, in fact, have a giant crush on Rei. So, she consulted an unusual friend after Rei left, after promptly giving her a kiss on the cheek that left her short circuiting.
(Cheek kisses were a normal thing between them, but now it felt different.)
She sat opposite the younger girl in the coffee shop and picked at the foam on her macchiato with a straw.
"So, I think- No, I do like Rei," Liz huffed.
Hyunseo raised an eyebrow dramatically. "Really! Wow! I never would've guessed."
"Respect your elders," Liz scoffed. She sipped her coffee.
"Have you thought, about, like, confessing maybe," Hyunseo said like it was the most obvious solution in the world. And it was, it just isn't easy to do, okay?
Liz rearranged her bangs. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
Hyunseo rocked her chair back playfully. "Is this a question they all ask?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Yujin was frantic about that. Don't worry though, you're all pretty," she said.
"Yujin... You knew?" Liz asked. "You knew about her and Wonyoung? Is that why-"
"I didn't, actually," Hyunseo said sheepishly. "Gaeul yelled at me yesterday night. Turns out they were... hm... you know! But thank god it all worked out, or Yujin would never let me over again." She shuddered.
"But enough about them, let's talk about you! Let's set you and Rei on a date, yes?"
Liz wrinkled her nose. "I think I'm good, thanks."
Hyunseo barked a laugh. "If you're that brave, you would've done it before consulting a high school kid for advice."
Liz smacked her.
"I got it, okay? I just have to make a situation and set the mood. And if she rejects me I'll go die in a hole or something."
